Chapter 86: Looking to the future

Settling into the village wasn’t something the Typhon Tribesmen were easily able to do. The anger, guilt, and embarrassment still lingered, and the nasty looks given to them by the Nemean tribe didn’t die down.

A month had finally passed since they had moved, but to them, it felt like an eternity.

Everyone walked on eggshells, had to keep one eye open at all times, and always watch their backs.

Nothing major happened during that time. Sure, a few fights and disputes took place here and there, but it was handled properly; sometimes the Typhon Tribe wasn’t even punished.

But fair treatment didn’t equate to a pleasant living expierence.

If one of them wanted to work, then they were able to. They were given extra food and resources like anyone who worked. The difference was the type of work they did.

Hunting left them in dangerous beast territory; mining left them in easily collapsible areas; farming was even worse, as they were told to cultivate rural parts of the land. The list went on.

Fair work? Absolutely. Good work? Most likely not.

Of course, Kanan and Solan learned of this after some of the Typhon Tribesmen had the balls to report their experiences, and to their shock, all of their cries and pleas were answered with positivity.

A silver lining did exist, however: the children.

On both sides, parents didn’t stop their children from interacting with each other. Of course, there were some parents who didn’t like this and others who would advise against it. But for the majority of parents, they didn’t force their own problems onto their children.

This led to the formation of friendships between the younger generation. From then on, the friendship was passed on to their siblings, then parents. And after a bit, even the adults were speaking with each other in a respectful manner.

Still, this was a small minority of tribesmen on both sides, but the progress was still there.

It was thanks to this little progress that Kanan and Solan were able to find people from both sides to be part of the team they were building to investigate the old Typhon Tribe village.

Kanan and Solan didn’t just put the team together the day they talked about this issue. They still needed more time to better perform the ’cure operations’, as well as wait for the blacksmiths to make the tools Kanan had asked them to make.

Now, weeks later, and after a good bit of research, the task force was ready to be formed.

"Now, I want all of you to understand that this task force isn’t meant to eliminate a threat right away. You are to research, observe, and report back. The most important thing we need right now is samples and knowledge." Kanan reiterated so it could be drilled into everyone’s heads.

"There is one thing I don’t understand, if I may ask." One of the warriors assigned to this team spoke up.

"What is it?"

"If we’re to investigate the cause of this Verminus Plant plague, then shouldn’t we eliminate that threat if we come across it?"

Solan decided to take the lead on this one. "I would be inclined to say yes, but you also have to remember that we are not trying to risk your lives. This threat can already infect our bodies. Therefore, if you see the root cause of this, which we suspect to be a plant-based monster, we would rather have information about it than attempt to fight it and lose."

Kanan clasped his hands with a smile on his face. "Exactly. This is also why you all are wearing full-body leather armor. It’s to prevent infection. Still, the armor isn’t foolproof, so you still have to be careful."

The team consisted of six people: four warriors, an herbalist, and a healer. In this team, however, the herbalist and healer were trained in combat, so they wouldn’t be useless in battle.

Of the four warriors, three of them were from the Typhon Tribe, while the rest were from the Nemean Tribe. Not only was this team balanced with people from both sides, but it was also a team-building exercise.

Working together would only build trust and friendships. That is, if they get along.

"You may have to spend extended amounts of time in that area for your research, sometimes being out there for weeks on end. But you should check in at least every two weeks until we deem we have enough information to proceed with the next step." Solan informed everyone.

Telah, who was present, crossed her arms, grunting with displeasure. "I still think I should be a part of this mission."

"I won’t deny that having you with them would be great, but you are also the representative of your people. If you leave, who will they turn to?"

"Anuwat."

Kanan was beat there. "Okay, fair, but all of you turn to her. She’s like the comminity grandma. You are their leader. You need to show your support in this team and make it known that we are working together."

"It is also why we have more warriors from your side than ours," Solan added

"Hmm, I understand, as unfortunate as it may be."

"Good. Kanan, is there anything else we need to go over?"

Kanan took a quick glance at his system. In front of him was a to-do list that he had created not too long ago. Every day he was learning more and more about what the system could do.

Most things were checked off, while others would take some time, such as this investigation. So, this left him with only one thing to cross off on his checklist.

"Say, Chief. Do you remember that lookout tower I wanted to build on the mountain?"

"Hmmm, yes, I remember you talking about that. Why?"

"I think it may be time to build it, especially with the danger of the monsters. Since encountering them near the base of the mountain range to the east over a month ago, I fear that we might be in danger if we hold off on this project."

"I understand. I’ll talk to the workers about this later today."

"Great. That’s all I have for now. Let’s protect our home, everyone."